Portal de Vallejo returned to Vallejo: memory, football, and city

A new edition of Portal de Vallejo took place last night in the Ágora Vallejo hall of the Football Federation of the Valencian Community, a venue full of symbolism. And not only because of the content of the event, but also because the current federation headquarters stands exactly on the physical space that the Campo de Vallejo occupied between 1925 and 1968. A return to the place where it all began.

The event was inaugurated by Salvador Gomar, president of the Football Federation of the Valencian Community, who welcomed the attendees and presented an event conceived as an emotional journey through the history of the Campo de Vallejo. A journey that invited looking back with respect, emotion, and a critical spirit. If one squinted and listened carefully, one could still feel the heartbeat of Vallejo.

The conference was led by Emilio Nadal, head of the Historical Heritage Area of Levante, and José Ricardo March, journalist, historian, and professor of Language and Literature, who delivered a choral, well-documented, and nuanced account of one of the fundamental spaces in the history of Valencian football.

Vallejo and the sense of modernity

One of the first axes of reflection revolved around the significance of Vallejo for Gimnástico. “Vallejo brought modernity to Gimnástico's discourse, a club that neither fully embraced the professionalization of players when it was already a reality, nor the League competition when football was heading in that direction,” emphasized Emilio Nadal. However, the club was clear about the need to have a proper stadium that would allow generating income through ticket sales and memberships, at a time when there were no other sources of funding.

In the same vein, José Ricardo March proposed “the scenario of Vallejo as the logical evolution following the experiences at Campo de La Soledad and the Stadium.” March specified that “Campo de La Soledad was fenced with reeds, which allowed access without paying, while the Stadium was a failed location due to its placement and the flooding of the Turia River.”

A polyhedral stadium

Another highlighted point was the polyhedral nature of Vallejo, a venue that was much more than football. March recalled that “in the 1940s, all the acts and demonstrations of the National Movement took place in Vallejo.” The stadium hosted rugby matches, hockey, cycling, bicycle races, handball, and basketball.

Additionally, starting in 1931 (and until 1934), Vallejo became a greyhound racing track, a proposal driven by Luis Mingo, president of Gimnástico, which generated significant profits for the club. March even referred to “a demonstration by a group of Cossacks in 1926,” an example of the multifunctional nature of the venue.

Vallejo and the merger

The Vallejo Field was also analyzed as the epicenter of the complex and controversial merger between Levante and Gimnástico. “Vallejo acted as a lure for the merger,” warned Nadal. However, March clarified that after the war “in reality, Vallejo was not in worse condition than Mestalla or the Campo de La Cruz.”

Thus, the myth of a happy merger —with a Gimnástico having a good field and a Levante with an excellent squad of players— began to fade. Nadal provided documentation linked to the JONS, preserved in the Levante Heritage Area, which warns of the expropriation of the Campo de La Cruz by this organization.

The eviction and purchase of Vallejo

A new section of the event addressed the eviction of Vallejo in the early 1950s. “There was an urban development operation that consumed the stadium. Valencia was expanding towards the Ensanche,” explained Emilio Nadal. “The partial urban alignment plan number 10 already anticipated the construction of buildings on the land occupied by Vallejo,” stated Nadal.

As March recalled, that episode concluded with the purchase of the stadium by Levante, thanks to the actions of Antonio Román and several families with deep-rooted Levante ties who guaranteed the operation. According to March, it was an operation valued at around six million pesetas of the time.

The end of an era

“Vallejo's survival was in question,” emphasized Nadal, which is why movements began to emerge to leave the venue in the late 1950s. March added that “the effects of the 1957 flood and the promotion to the First Division in 1963 prompted the club to definitively address leaving Vallejo.”

The 1963 promotion served to close the event. “Perhaps it was one of Vallejo's stellar moments,” stated Emilio Nadal. March reinforced the idea by pointing out that the photographs of that milestone reflect the symbolic value of a promotion long pursued by Levante.

The meeting concluded with a round table in which the fans present in the Salón Ágora Vallejo actively participated, extending the dialogue, memory, and emotion in a place where, one hundred years later, Vallejo continues to beat.